Smoking materials (cigars, loose tobacco, and various dried herbs) must be kept at a consistent humidity level to maintain flavor, freshness, and potency. Without adequate humidity the materials will dry out; excessive humidity can cause mildew and/or mold.
Smoking materials require specific relative humidity (RH) levels. Cigars are normally kept at 65-75% RH. Dry, pre-rolled cigarette tobacco is best stored around 60% RH. Dried herbs are best stored at approximately 50%-65%. The most effective humidity-stabilization devices effect two-way humidity control, working as both humectant and desiccant. These devices prevent mildew and mold and maintain smoking materials within a proper RH range regardless of environmental humidity.
Silica gel is a granular, vitreous, porous form of silicon dioxide made synthetically from sodium silicate. Silica gel contains a nano-porous silica micro-structure suspended in a liquid. Silica gel beads, commonly used for removing moisture from packaging containers, may be calibrated with a coating of mineral salts to absorb or release humidity in various RH ranges, providing a buffering effect on relative humidity. This action referred to as two-way humidity control.
Silica gel beads commonly require distilled water for use in saturating the beads. Saturating beads is also referred to as charging the beads.
One skilled in the art understands that common two-way humidity maintenance devices for smoking materials are most commonly cigar-specific and, as such, maintain humidity levels that are too high for loose tobacco and dried herbs. Humidity-stabilizing devices designed to maintain ideal humidity levels for loose tobacco and dried herbs are either disposable or require maintenance of a humidor and use of distilled water.